Emulating FICON over IP

ABSTRACT

A Fiber Connection (FICON) information unit is received by a host processor executing a host internet protocol (IP) software library. The FICON information unit is written to a transport layer. Data including the FICON information unit is then transmitted to a storage control unit over an IP network.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to computer storage, and specificallyto conveying Fibre Connection (FICON) information units over an InternetProtocol (IP) network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In computer networking, a protocol stack comprises a prescribedhierarchy of software layers, starting from the application layer at thetop (the source of the data being sent) to the physical layer at thebottom (transmitting the bits on the wire). Elements of the protocolstack include an application layer, a transport layer, a network layer,a data-link layer and a physical layer.

The application layer comprises a software application closest to auser, supports network access, and provides services for userapplications.

The transport layer is responsible for conveying data across a networkfrom a source to a destination. Examples of transport layers includeTransmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP) andStream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP).

The network layer enables transferring data from a source to adestination host via one or more networks. The network layer identifiesthe addresses of neighboring nodes in the network, packages data withnetwork address information, selects routes and quality of service,recognizes incoming messages for local host domains, and forwards theincoming messages to the transport layer. Internet Protocol (IP) is anexample of a network layer.

The data-link layer is the protocol layer which handles the moving ofdata across a physical link (i.e., layer) in a network. The data-linklayer divides output data into data frames, and handles theacknowledgements from a receiver that the data arrived successfully. Thedata-link layer also ensures that incoming data has been receivedsuccessfully by analyzing bit patterns at special places in the frames.Examples of data link layers include Ethernet, and Fiber DistributedData Interface (FDDI).

Finally, the physical layer consists of the basic hardware transmissiontechnologies of a network. The physical layer defines how raw bits(rather than logical data packets) are transmitted over a physical link(i.e., connecting network nodes). Physical layer devices just takemessages (i.e., input bits) and convey them as output, and typicallyhave no knowledge of the contents of the messages. Examples of physicallayer devices include repeaters, hubs, transceivers and network media.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is provided, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention an apparatus, including a host memory, and a host processorcoupled to the host memory, and configured to receive a Fibre Connection(FICON) information unit, to write the FICON information unit to atransport layer, and to transmit data including the FICO informationunit to a storage control unit over an IP network.

There is further provided, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention a computer program product, the computer programproduct including a non-transitory computer readable storage mediumhaving computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computerreadable program code including computer readable program code executingon a host processor and configured to write a FICON information unitreceived by the host processor to a transport layer, and computerreadable program code executing on the host processor and configured totransmit data including the FICON information unit to a storage controlunit over an internet protocol (IP) network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure is herein described, by way of example only, withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic pictorial illustration of a system configured toconvey Fibre Connection (FICON) information units over an InternetProtocol (IP) network, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram that schematically illustrates a method ofconveying the FICON information units over the IP network, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Overview

Mainframe data centers typically implement high speed Fibre Connection(FICON) networks that are local to the data center, where FICONcomprises the transport layer of the protocol stack. Computing deviceson the FICON network include mainframe computers and storage controlunits.

When communicating over FICON networks, mainframe computers can interactwith storage systems by conveying FICON information units to the storagesystem. FICON information units typically comprise Count Key Data (CKD)commands, Single Byte-4 (SB-4) commands, and FICON commands. CKD is anapplication layer protocol, and comprises commands that manage CKDvolumes on CKD storage devices. CKD commands are also referred to aschannel command words (CCW) and typically comprise one or more FICONinformation units. To convey CKD commands, FICON networks typically usethe SB-4 mapping protocol. The SB-4 mapping protocol can create logicalpaths for CKD commands, so that multiple independent CKD streams can beissued independently over a FICON network. In other words, CKD operatesover SB-4, which is transported by FICON.

Embodiments of the present invention enable an application executing ona host computer to convey FICON information units to a storage controlunit via an internet protocol (IP) network, thereby defining FICONsemantics over an IP connection. In some embodiments, an applicationexecuting on a host computer issues a FICON information unit (e.g., viaan Application Programming Interface call), and a host IP library moduleexecuting on the host computer receives the FICON information unit,writes the FICON information unit to a transport layer, and transmitsdata that includes the FICON information unit to a storage control unitvia an IP network. After the storage control unit receives the dataincluding the FICON information unit from the IP network, a storage IPlibrary executing on the storage control unit extracts the FICONinformation unit from the received data.

For example, an application executing on a host computer calls a CKDcommand ckd_chn_establish_logical_path( ), which is typically used tocreate a logical path between the host computer and a storage devicecoupled to a storage control unit. The host computer and the storagecontrol unit are coupled via an IP network. A host processor on the hostcomputer receives the CKD command called by the application, writes theCKD command to a TCP transport layer, and transmits data including theCKD command to the storage control unit over the IP network. Since TCPdata is typically encapsulated in an IP datagram, the IP datagram mayinclude additional data such as inter-process messages, file transferprotocol (FTP) data, or any other application layer data.

Continuing the example, a storage processor on the storage control unitreceives the transmitted data that includes theckd_chn_establish_logical_path( ) CKD command, extracts the CKD commandfrom the TCP transport layer, and conveys the CKD command to a storageapplication that is configured to manage storage devices on the storagecontrol unit. Finally, the storage application creates a logical pathbetween the host computer and a given storage device on the storagecontrol unit.

In addition to being coupled to an IP network, the storage control unitmay be also coupled to a FICON network, and execute a FICON librarymodule configured to receive FICON information units received from theFICON network. Therefore, the storage control unit can be agnostic tothe source (i.e., IP or FICON) of the FICON information units. In otherwords, applications (e.g., a storage application processing input/outputrequests) executing on the storage control unit process FICONinformation units in the same manner, regardless of which networkconveyed the FICON information units.

Since connecting to an IP network is typically significantly lessexpensive than connecting to a FICON network, embodiments of the presentinvention enable a variety of host computing devices located in avariety of locations to directly access current (i.e., not archived) CKDstorage volume data via IP networks. Additionally, IP traffic betweenthe host computing devices and the CKD storage volume may travel overmultiple networks, including wireless and/or virtual private networks.For example, using embodiments of the present invention, softwaredevelopers at a remote development site can directly access CKD volumedata using International Business Machines' System z® PersonalDevelopment Tool (zPDT) (produced by IBM Corporation, Armonk, N.Y.),while a marketing professional can directly access marketing data storedon the CKD volume wirelessly via a smartphone.

System Description

FIG. 1 is a schematic pictorial illustration of a system 20 configuredto convey FICON information units from a Linux™ host computer 22 to astorage control unit 24 over an IP network 26, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. Storage control unit 24 can alsocommunicate with a mainframe host computer 28 over a FICON network 30,via a FICON host bus adapter (HBA) 32. The particular subsystem shown inFIG. 1 is presented to facilitate an explanation of the invention.However, as the skilled artisan will appreciate, the invention can bepracticed using other computing environments, such as other storagesubsystems with diverse architectures and capabilities.

Storage control unit 24 receives, from host computers 22 and 28,input/output (I/O) requests, which are commands to read or write data atlogical addresses on logical volumes. In addition to host computers 22and 28, any number of additional host computers (not shown) may becoupled to storage control unit 24 by any means known in the art, forexample, using networks 26 and 30. Herein, by way of example, hostcomputer 22 and storage control unit 24 are assumed to be coupled by IPnetwork 26, and mainframe host 28 and the storage control unit areassumed to be coupled by FICON network 30.

The logical addresses specify a range of data blocks within a logicalvolume, each block herein being assumed by way of example to contain 512bytes. For example, a 10 KB data record used in a data processingapplication on a host computer would require 20 blocks, which the hostcomputers might specify as being stored at a logical address comprisingblocks 1000 through 1019 of a logical volume. Storage control unit 24typically operates in, or as, a network attached storage (NAS) or a SANsystem (both not shown).

In some configurations, storage control unit 24 may comprise multiplesets of storage devices 50. Each set of storage devices 50 comprisesmultiple slow and/or fast access time mass storage devices, herein belowassumed to be multiple hard disks. Typically, the sets of storagedevices 50 comprise one or more disks, which can have differentperformance characteristics.

Routing records, indicating the association of logical addresses oflogical volumes with partitions and the association of the partitionswith caches, are distributed by the storage control unit to either FICONHost bus adapter 32 and IP Host Bus Adapter 52 (both referred to hereinas the network interfaces). It will be understood that system 20, andthereby, storage control unit 24, may comprise any convenient number ofthe network interfaces. Subsequent to the formation of storage devices50, the network interfaces receive I/O commands from host computers 22and 28 specifying logical addresses of storage devices 50. The networkinterfaces use the routing records to break the commands into I/Oinstructions, or command subsets, that are then distributed among caches(not shown) in the storage control unit.

Storage control unit 24 is operative to monitor its state, and totransmit configuration information to other components of system 20, forexample, configuration changes that result in blocking intervals, orlimit the rate at which I/O requests for the sets of storage devices 50are accepted.

Data having contiguous logical addresses are generally distributed amongthe storage devices. Alternatively, the data can be distributed usingother algorithms, e.g., byte or block interleaving. In general, thisincreases bandwidth, for instance, by allowing a volume coupled via the(IP and FICO) networks, or a file in network attached storage to be readfrom or written to more than one disk at a time. However, this techniquerequires coordination among the various disks, and in practice mayrequire complex provisions for disk failure, and a strategy for dealingwith error checking information, e.g., a technique for storing parityinformation relating to distributed data. Indeed, when logical unitpartitions are distributed in sufficiently small granularity, dataassociated with a single logical unit may span all of storage devices50.

While not explicitly shown for purposes of illustrative simplicity, theskilled artisan will appreciate that in some embodiments, storagecontrol unit 24 may be adapted for implementation in conjunction withcertain hardware, such as a rack mount system, a midplane, and/or abackplane. Additional hardware such as the aforementioned switches,processors, controllers, memory devices, and the like may also beincorporated into storage control unit 24 and elsewhere within thesystem 20, again as the skilled artisan will appreciate. Further, avariety of software components, operating systems, firmware, and thelike may be integrated.

Linux™ Host computer 22 comprises a host processor 34, a host memory 36,and a host network adapter 38, all coupled via a bus 40. Host computer22 communicates with IP network 26 via host network adapter 38. WhileFIG. 1 shows Linux™ host computer 22 configured to convey FICONinformation units to storage control unit 24 over IP network 26, othertypes of host computers executing other operating systems (e.g.,Windows™) may also be configured to convey FICON commands over the IPnetwork using embodiments described herein, and are thus considered tobe within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

As described in further detail hereinbelow, host processor 34 executes ahost IP library module 42 that is configured to write FICON informationunits to a transport layer, and to transmit data including the FICONinformation units to storage control unit 24 over IP network 26. Host IPlibrary module 42 may comprise a software library written in C thatimplements an application programming interface (API) configured toenable applications executing on the host processor to call CKDread/write functions. In some embodiments, Host IP library module 42 maycomprise an additional software layer that exposes the API to scriptinglanguages such as Python and JavaScript.

Host IP library module 42 can be configured to handle FICON semanticssuch as opening exchanges, fragmenting channel command words intoinformation units and de-fragmenting the replies, generating automaticSB-4 commands for non exceptional channel-programs, and handlingmultiple connection to one or more storage devices. Since the host IPlibrary module can handle FICON semantics, applications executing onLinux™ host computer 22 can operate at a channel command word levelwithout being aware of the underlying SB-4, IP channel & FICON semanticsrunning underneath.

In some instances, IP and FICON define overlapping or contradictingcapabilities. An example of an overlapping capability is that FICONtypically uses Cyclic Redundancy Check 32 (CRC32) signatures to verifyconveyed data, while IP typically uses checksum signatures. An exampleof a contradicting capability is that TCP is stream oriented and doesnot require fragmentation, while FICON utilizes sequences andinformation units. Therefore, host IP library module 42 can simulateFICON behavior by fragmenting each CCW into multiple FICON informationunits, even though the host IP library module can convey the whole CCWover the IP channel as is (i.e., as a single CCW). Additionally, host IPlibrary module 42 pads and adds CRC signatures to transport datasegments, while IP data is typically protected by the IP layer.

Storage control unit 24 comprises FICON HBA 32, a storage processor 46,a storage memory 48, CKD storage devices 50, and an IP HBA 52, allcoupled via a bus 54. Storage processor 46 executes a FICON librarymodule 56, a storage IP library module 58, and a storage application 60from storage memory 48, and communicates with IP network 26 via IP HBA52.

Storage application 60 is configured to process input/output (I/O)requests (conveyed via a FICON information unit), transfer data from/toCKD storage devices 50, and convey the result of the I/O requests (e.g.,an acknowledgement of a write operation, or the retrieved data of a readoperation) to host computers 22 and 28 via their respective networks.CKD storage devices 50 typically comprise a combination of high capacityhard disk drives and solid-state disk drives.

In operation, FICON library module 56 is configured to receive FICONinformation units from mainframe host 28 via FICON network 30, and totransmit the FICON information units to storage application 60. Asdescribed in further detail hereinbelow, storage IP library module 58 isconfigured to extract the FICON information unit from data received fromhost computer 22 via IP network 26, and to convey the FICON informationunit to storage application 60.

In an alternative embodiment, the roles of library modules 56 and 58,and host IP library module 42 may be reversed. In other words, storageIP library module 60 can be configured to write a FICON information unitto a transport layer, and to transmit data including the FICONinformation unit to Linux™ host computer 22 via IP network 26, and hostIP library module 42 can be configured to extract the FICON informationunit from data received via host network adapter 38. Likewise, FICONlibrary module 56 can be configured to write a FICON information unit toa transport layer, and to transmit data including the FICON informationunit to mainframe host computer 28 over FICON network 30 via FICON HBA32.

Processors 34 and 46 typically comprise general-purpose computersconfigured to carry out the functions described herein. Softwareoperated by the processors may be downloaded to the memories inelectronic form, over a network, for example, or it may be provided onnon-transitory tangible media, such as optical, magnetic or electronicmemory media. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of theprocessors may be carried out by dedicated or programmable digitalhardware components, or by using a combination of hardware and softwareelements.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system”.Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, or any suitable combination of theforegoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computerprogram instructions may also be stored in a computer readable mediumthat can direct a computer, other programmable data processingapparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, suchthat the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement thefunction/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

FICON Over IP

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram that schematically illustrates a method ofconveying FICON information units over IP network 26, thereby emulatingFICON over IP, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In an initialization step 70, host processor 34 initializes anetwork connection between Linux™ host computer 22 and storage controlunit 24 over IP network 26. Examples of operations host processor 34performs to initialize the connection include:

-   -   Setting one or more transport parameters. For example, host        processor 34 can set parameters such as an IP address, routing        ports and a domain name system (DNS) address.    -   Establishing an IP network connection to storage control unit        24.    -   Configuring host IP library 42 to receive notifications from        storage control unit 24.

Upon host processor 34 receiving a FICON information unit, host IPlibrary module 42 writes the FICON information unit to a transport layerin a write step 72. Examples of transport layers protocols includetransmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), andstream control transmission protocol (SCTP).

In a transmit step 74, host processor 34 transmits data including theFICON information unit over IP network 26 to storage control unit 24,and in a receive step 76, storage processor 46 receives the dataincluding the FICON information unit from the IP network. Finally, in anextract step 78, storage IP library module 58 extracts the FICONinformation unit from the transport layer, conveys the FICON informationunit to an application executing on storage processor 46 (e.g., storageapplication 60), and the method ends.

The following table lists a sample application that uses the host IPlibrary module's API function calls to import a CKD volume from amainframe file (e.g., an AWS DASD file) stored on a storage device (notshown) coupled to bus 40 to a given CKD storage device 50 (i.e., fromthe Linux™ host computer to the storage control unit):

 (1) ckd_channel_init( )  (2) ckd_storage_device_impl_init_ip( )  (3)ckd_chn_establish_logical_path( )  (4) do {  (5)   aws_read_track( ) (6)   write_track( )  (7)  } while (not last track)  (8)ckd_chn_remove_logical_path( )  (9) ckd_storage_device_impl_close (10)ckd_channel_terminate( )

In line (1), host processor 34 initializes host IP library module 42, asdescribed in initialization step 70. In line (2), host processor 34initializes an IP connection to storage control unit 24, and in line(3), the host processor creates a logical path for conveying the FICONinformation units from the Linux™ host computer to the storage controlunit.

Lines (4)-(7) comprise an iterative loop that reads all the CKD tracksin the AWS file (i.e., on the Linux™ host computer), and writes the CKDtracks to the given storage device 50. In line (8), host processor 34removes the logical channel, thereby allowing any resources allocated tothe logical channel to be reused. In line (9), host processor 34 closesthe IP connection to storage control unit 24, and in line (10), the hostprocessor terminates execution of host IP library module 42, therebyfreeing any resources allocated to the host IP module.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

It will be appreciated that the embodiments described above are cited byway of example, and that the present invention is not limited to whathas been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather, the scopeof the present invention includes both combinations and subcombinationsof the various features described hereinabove, as well as variations andmodifications thereof which would occur to persons skilled in the artupon reading the foregoing description and which are not disclosed inthe prior art.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a host memory;and a host processor coupled to the host memory, the host processorexecuting a Linux operating system receiving input controls from a userand configured: to receive a Fibre Connection (FICON) information unit,to write the FICON information unit including ackd_chn_establish_logical_path( )Count Key Data (CKD) command from astorage application executing on the host processor to a transportlayer, to transmit data comprising an internet protocol (IP) datagramincluding inter-process messages, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) data, andthe FICON information unit to a storage control unit over an IP networkthereby encapsulating the FICON information unit within the IP datagram,and to select the transport layer data segments from a list consistingof a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), a user datagram protocol(UDP), and a stream control transmission protocol (SCTP); wherein thestorage control unit receives input/output (I/O) requests from multiplehost computers including the host processor to read and write the dataat logical addresses on logical volumes of multiple physical storagedevices directly coupled to the storage control unit and wherein thestorage control unit is coupled to both the IP network and a nativeFICON network and receives the FICON information unit over either the IPnetwork or the native FICON network such that the storage applicationexecuting on the storage control unit processes the FICON informationunit in an identical manner regardless of whether the FICON informationunit was received over the IP network or the native FICON network. 2.The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a storage processor isconfigured to receive the data including the FICON information unit fromthe IP network, and to extract the FICON information unit from thetransport layer.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein thestorage processor is configured to convey the extracted FICONinformation unit to an application executing on the storage controlunit.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the host processoris configured to initialize a network connection between the hostprocessor and the storage control unit, prior to receiving the FICONinformation unit.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thehost processor is configured to select the FICON information unit from alist consisting of the CKD command, a Single-Byte-4 (SB-4) command, anda FICON command.
 6. A computer program product, the computer programproduct comprising: a non-transitory computer readable storage mediumhaving computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computerreadable program code comprising: computer readable program codeexecuting on a host processor, the host processor executing a Linuxoperating system receiving input controls from a user and configured towrite a FICON information unit including ackd_chn_establish_logical_path( )Count Key Data (CKD) command receivedby a storage application executing on the host processor to a transportlayer; computer readable program code executing on the host processorand configured to transmit data comprising an internet protocol (IP)datagram including inter-process messages, File Transfer Protocol (FTP)data, and the FICON information unit to a storage control unit over anIP network thereby encapsulating the FICON information unit within theIP datagram; and computer readable program code executing on the hostprocessor is configured to select the transport layer data segments froma list consisting of a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), a userdatagram protocol (UDP), and a stream control transmission protocol(SCTP); wherein the storage control unit receives input/output (I/O)requests from multiple host computers including the host processor toread and write the data at logical addresses on logical volumes ofmultiple physical storage devices directly coupled to the storagecontrol unit and wherein the storage control unit is coupled to both theIP network and a native FICON network and receives the FICON informationunit over either the IP network or the native FICON network such thatthe storage application executing on the storage control unit processesthe FICON information unit in an identical manner regardless of whetherthe FICON information unit was received over the IP network or thenative FICON network.
 7. The computer program product according to claim6, wherein computer readable program code executing on a storageprocessor is configured to extract the FICON information unit from thedata including the FICON information unit received by the storageprocessor.
 8. The computer program product according to claim 7, whereinthe computer readable program code executing on the storage processor isconfigured to convey the extracted FICON information unit to anapplication executing on the storage control unit.
 9. The computerprogram product according to claim 6, wherein the computer readableprogram code executing on the host processor is configured to initializea network connection between the host processor and the storage controlunit, prior to receiving the FICON information unit.
 10. The computerprogram product according to claim 6, wherein the computer readableprogram code executing on the host processor is configured to select theFICON information unit from a list consisting of the CKD command, aSingle-Byte-4 (SB-4) command, and a FICON command.